Without Taurasi, Mercury rally past Monarchs

May 30, 2007 - 4:44 AM
PHOENIX (Ticker) -- The odds were against the Phoenix Mercury
but they won anyway.

Cappie Pondexter scored 23 points and had five assists the as
the Phoenix Mercury rallied from 17 down to defeat the
Sacramento Monarchs 76-75 on Tuesday.

The Mercury completed their third largest comeback in team
history without superstar Diana Taurasi who was ejected from the
game at 4:55 of the second quarter after being called for her
second technical foul.

Phoenix (3-1) was trailing 41-24 when Taurasi exited, but
outscored the Monarchs (2-2) 52-34 the rest of the way and held
on for the win in the final seconds.

Sacramento's Rebekkah Brunson had a chance to win the game in
the final moments but she missed a shot in the paint as the
Phoenix defense collapsed on her. Brunson finished with a
team-high 16 points.

Kelly Miller had 15 points and Tangela Smith added 11 for the
Mercury who won their third straight home game for the first
time since 2002.

The loss ended a two-game winning streak for Sacramento, which
received 13 points from Nicole Powell and 12 from DeMya Walker.

Taurasi came into the game leading the league with 23.7 points
per game, but she struggled in this one and her frustration
likely factored into her ejection.

Last year's league leader with 25.3 points per game, Taurasi
missed her first six shots and had just one point after the
opening quarter.

Taurasi picked up her first technical midway through the second
quarter. Minutes later, she was called for another after a
flagrant foul on Sacramento's Kara Lawson and ejected. The
former No. 1 draft pick finished 1-for-7 shooting with only four
points.

If losing a big lead wasn't enough, Sacramento lost despite
outrebounding the Mercury 45-26.